Telegraph-key



(No Model.)

0. PROSGH.

TELEGRAPH. KEY.

No. 269,321. Patented Dec.19,1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT Curios.

CYRUS PROSCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRICAL SUPPLY COMPANY, OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT.

TELEG RAPH KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,321, dated December 19, 1882.

'Application filed September .23, 1882. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CYRUS PROSOH, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new Improvement in Telegraph-Keys; andl do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and

represent, ill- Figure 1, a top or plan view; Fig. 2, a sectional side view; Fig. 3, a vertical section through the knob; Fig. 4, a sectional rear 1 5 view; Fig. 5, an under side view of the contact end of the key-lever; Fig. 6, a modification.

This invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for communicating telegraphic signals commonly called telegraph-key, the

object of the invention being to construct the key so that the operator, without interrupting his work, may renew orclean thecontact-points, also to construct a key with an elastic support for the lower contact-point, whereby the usual jar may be avoided, also to make a more perfect joint at the hinged-end of the key, and generally to simplify the construction and improve the operation of the key; and in a construction whereby these objects are attained,

as more fully hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claims, my invention consists.

A represents the base of the key, from which an arm, B, extends forward, and which pos- 3 5 sesses a considerable degree of elasticity. At the end of the arm B the lower contact, C, is attached. This may consist of a. short piece of wire and may be made removable.

D E are posts, to which the respective wires are attached, provided respectively with binding-screws d e.

F is the key-lever, which is attached to the posts by means of a thin strip of metal,f, and which forms a hinge-like connection for the 5 lever, but holds the leverfirmly and yetpermits avery delicate movement of thelever. It is let into. the end of the lever, and extends over the posts between the two plates h h on the posts. The one post, D, is in metallic connection with 0 the base of the key,butisinsulated from the k eylever, as seen in Fig. 4, the solid black 1' indicattant point there will be more or less rubbing ing the insulation. The other post, E, is insu lated from the base, solid black 2' indicating the insulation at that point, but is in metallic connection with the key-lever, as seen in Fig. 4. The key-leverextends forward over the contactpoint C below. At its outer end a knob, G, is arranged upon the upper side of thelever, and by which the operator works the key; but in;' stead of being made rigid on the end of the lever, as in the usual construction, it is in connection with a disk, l, upon the under side of the lever. This disk lies in metallic connection with the lever F, extends up through the lever, and is secured to the knob above, and so that the knob and disk are readily rotated in a plane parallel with the surface of the leverthat is to say, so that the operator can freely turn the knob, and in turning the knob also turns the disk l upon the under side of the lever. To the under side of the disk the other contact, m, is attached. This contact I prefer to I make scroll shape, as seen in Fig. 5, and from a piece of wire bent into that shape, secured to the disk, and so that as the lever is pressed down this scroll-shaped piece will be brought upon the lower contact and close the circuit. When at work, if the operator finds the 0on tact stick or the work is not perfect from any coating of the contact-surfaces, it is only necessary to turn the knob, and a new point is presented. At the same time this turning to present a new point, scrapes the surface of the contacts one upon the other, and tends to clean that surface. The new contact-point is produced by the spiral shape-that is to say, the contact will be farther from or nearer to'the center of the disk according as the knob is turned, and in turning it to present such disof the surfaces together. While I prefer this scroll or volute shape for the upper contact, it may be a rib, or it may be a fiat surface, or other shape, it only being necessary that it shall be ofsuch shape that in turning the knob a new point is presented to the lower contact, and whereby the operator may, while at work, and without any interruption of that work, renew or clear the contact-points.

H is the screw for adjusting the extent of vibration of the lever and so as to increase or reduce the working distance between the contact-points; but instead of setting this screw into a stationary insulator nut I arrange the insulator-nut n in the hub of a lever, I. The arm of this lever extends outward above the base, and is fitted with a handle, L, by which it may be turned in the usual manner for operating a circuit-closer. The hub of the lever is screw-threaded and turned intoacorrespondingly-threaded hole in the base, as seen in Fig. 2. The nut n is made fast in the 11 ab of the lever I, and so as to turn with it. The screw H, which extends through the lever into the nut n, is screwed down so as to bring the contacts together, say, when the lever is in its most forward position, and so that the circuit will be closed at that point. To open the circuit, turn the lever away in the usual manner of turning the circuit-closer, which movement raises the lever, because of its threaded hub, and the screw H, being fast in that hub, turns with the lever, and thus the lever .F will be raised to the extent of the raising of the cireuit-closer.

When a stronger contact is required-that is, greater pressure or less movement of the rontactthe screw H is turned into its nut in the usual manner of adjusting key-levers for this purpose; but there must always be play left between the head of the screw and the lever when the circuit-closer is thrown back, as seen in broken lines. A stop is arranged to arrest the circuit-closer when thrown back, and it a greater movement of the key is'required than can be given within that space the stop must be set farther back. By this construction and arrangement of the adjusting-screw and circuit-closer, when the circuit is closed, the contact-surfaces are together, and remain so until the circuitis opened. Hence when so closed it. is impossible for any foreign substance to enter and lodge between the contactpoints-a difficulty experienced in the use of that class of circuit-closers in which the circuit is closed without bringing the contacts together. Thus this part of my invention not only simplifies the construction and operation of the key, but materially improves its working. The spring-arm B, upon which the lower contact is arranged, possesses an advantage over the solid or rigid support for the lower contact, in that it gives relief from the jar experienced by operators in the use of keys having a solid support for the lower contact.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to any particular form of contactpoints. Neither do I limitmyinvention to mak ing top connections with the key, for it will be readily seen that the connection may be made through legs, as seen in Fi 6one leg in connection with the key and insulated from the base, the other in connection with the base. The elastic joint between the lever and keysupport maybe employed in keys having a different arrangementot'point of contact. So, also, the circuit-closer may be employed with other constructions of key. The elastic arm B, upon which the lower contact is arranged, may also be employed with other keys.

I claim- 1. In a telegra 'ih-key, the combination of the key-lever constructed to form a bearing for the knob, the knob supported in the said bearing in the lever so as to be rotated therein, the upper contact-point attached to said knob, and so as to be rotated with it and the lower contact, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a telegraph-key, the combination of the key-lever constructed to form a bearing for the knob, the knob supported in the said bearing in the lever so as to be rotated therein, the spiral-shaped contact attached to and so as to be rotated with the knob, and the lower contact, substantially as described.

3. In a telegraph-key, the combination of the lower spring-arm, B, carrying the lower contact at its outer end, the key-lever, and upper contact arranged at the outer end of the key, substantially beneath the knob by which the key is worked, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the lever I, screwthreaded into the base and carrying a nut in its hub, the key-lever, and the adj listing-screw H, which extends through the key-lever into said nut, substantially as described.

5. In a telegraph-key, the combination of the two posts 1) E, each attached directly to the base, the key-lever hung to the said two CYRUS PROSCH.

Witnesses JOHN E. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELsnY.

ICS 

